Despite Leftwing Distortion Sephardi Chief Rabbi Said Muslims Allowed to Live in Israel

On occasion, the Shas rabbis, most memorably the late Rav Ovadia Yosef, express themselves in the most untoward manner on some issues, including but not exclusively regarding our cousins the Arabs. According to Channel 2 News, Rav Yosef’s son, Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, Israel’s Sephardi Chief Rabbi, on Saturday night (which is when Shas rabbis prefer to make those unabashed statements) declared that goyim (gentiles) are not allowed to live in Israel according to halakha.

Indeed, that was the Ha’aretz headline the next day: “Sephardic Chief Rabbi: Gentiles forbidden to live in Israel.” The lefwing paper subheadlined the story: “In his weekly sermon Rav Yosef argued that the source of the prohibition is halakhic, and that a more robust Jewish government would have sent them (the gentiles) to Saudi Arabia.”

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As is often the case when the left cites religious sources, they don’t have to lie about them to make them appear outrageous — all they have to do is present them to the secular Israeli reader sans context and background. In that, the Israeli left operates in a manner similar to that of the White Power websites that cherry pick the Talmud for outrageous rabbinic statements about gentiles and about the supremacy of the Jews over the rest of the nations. When taken out of context, both intellectually and historically, these statements indeed sound despicable at times. Only when read within the flow of the particular tractate, with the historic period of the statement in mind, would the Talmud reveal the enlightened and often psychologically and sociologically astute approach of our rabbis.

“According to the halakha, a goy is forbidden to live in Eretz Israel,” Rav Yosef said in the recording made last Saturday night. Unless he takes on the seven Noahide laws. Should he not accept these laws, one of which is to not commit suicide … we send him to Saudi Arabia.”

If we left the Rabbi’s verbatim statement as is, it makes him sound as brazen as some of Europe’s new anti-Muslim movements, or even like Donald J. Trump. “Chief Rabbi says gentiles must be transferred to Saudi Arabia.” Unless we look into those Noahide laws the rabbi mentioned.

According to the Jewish Virtual Library, the seven Noahide laws, as traditionally enumerated are:

Do not deny God

Do not blaspheme against God

Do not murder

Do not engage in incestuous, adulterous or homosexual relationships

Do not steal

Do not eat the flesh of a live animal

Establish a legal system to ensure law obedience

According to the majority of Jewish scholars who have dealt with the issue, most prominently Maimonides, Islam is the world religion that is the closest adherent to these laws, making Muslims eligible to live in Israel, according to the chief rabbi’s statement. In fact, there would be a bigger problem with Christian gentiles in this context, especially Catholics, whose lavish icons and statues have raised a rabbinic eyebrow more than once.

The condition Rav Yosef places before the Muslims, to accept not to commit suicide, is his own innovation, which is essentially his extension of the Noahide law against murder — and self-murder. But this is already part of the Muslim laws, as argued by many Islamic experts who see the suicide bombers as a desecration of their religion. Here’s one such note, by Nashid Abdul-Khaaliq, which offers a Quranic citation that covers most of the Nohaide laws:

“Suicide is strictly forbidden along with the killing of innocents in Islam. God is the author of life and it is only He who could take life or tell human beings under what conditions a life should be taken such as in punishment for murder and spreading destruction and havoc in the land. As human beings we don’t own our lives, God does! As such we don’t have the authority to take it. Suicide is disrespecting God and being ungrateful for the life He has given us. God has made life sacred for human beings and all his creatures. There are many verses that describe the sacredness of life in the Qur’an. One of the verses is as follows:

Say: “Come, I will rehearse what God hath (really) prohibited you from”: Join not anything as equal with Him; be good to your parents; kill not your children on a plea of want;- We provide sustenance for you and for them;- come not nigh to shameful deeds. Whether open or secret; take not life, which God hath made sacred, except by way of justice and law: thus doth He command you, that ye may learn wisdom. (Qur’an 6:151)

So, the Arabs stay, the Rabbi didn’t mean that they should be expelled en masse anywhere, it was only a media bubble.

12 COMMENTS

Of course Muslim Arabs would be the first to go. What kind of distortion is this article? Since you brought of Maimonides, know that he says openly that the seven Noahide laws must be accepted BECAUSE THE JEWISH G-D COMMANDED THEM TO MOSES. No Muslim accepts that. Additionally, ALL the commentaries agree that the non-Jew must also accept Jewish sovereignty with tribute (special tax) and servitude. Maimonides concludes that even after accepting all this, the resident must keep his head low and never be appointed to any position over a Jew in any field. Why not just admit the truth? Nothing to be ashamed of. All gentiles are welcome to live in Israel under basic conditions. That is all. As of yet, no Muslim comes close to any of these conditions, with an acceptance of Jewish sovereignty a rarity.

He’s taking after his late father. They say that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. This idiot brings both the religion of Judaism and Israel into disrepute. The title “rabbi” means teacher. This man knows only how to teach prejudice and hate. He’s a disgrace to the officer he holds and actually drives more Jews away Fr on their religion than he attracts.

ANY PERSON THAT WANTS TO ALLOW MUSLIMS TO LIVE IN TSRAEL IS A FOOL. NO MATTER IF YOU ARE A RABBI OR THE PRIME MINISTER OR ANY OTHER OFICIAL YOU ARE WRONG. SIT DOWN -HAVE A DRINK AND ASK YOURSELF WHAT HAS THE MUSLIM RELIGION DONE FOR THE JEWISH PEOPLE? HOW MANY TIMES HAVE THEY PROPESED PEACE – HOW MANY TIMES HAVE THEY ACTIVELY TRIED TO MAKE PEACE. IF YOU CAN ANSWER AND GIVE A NUMBER BETWEEN 1 AND 1 YOU MIGHT HIT THE MARK BUT THEN YOU HAVE TO GO TO THE HISTORY BOOKS TO FIND THE DATE.

what about the Jewish people who are Freemasons. Freemason is idolatry. The very core of freemasonry is satanic worship. And from what I hear the Freemason icon sits on the Jerusalem courthouse roof. Very disappointed to find this out.

Ruby Ingram: I'm not a Mason, but having looked at that organization and it's history, it is you who are likely under the inflence of something you should not be. Apparently Conspiracy Theorists who are avid to see what does not exist. Masons are not a cult of devil worshipers…LMAO….Nor is the world flat.

'…Do not blaspheme against God..' wouldn't following the 'teaching of Mohamed' , considered by Orthodox Rabbis a form of blasphemy? Islam may be 'the closest', but still not close enough, so, sorry, they cannot live in Israel.